The Palace Responds To Spreading Banners 'Welcome Mr. Jokowi. We Are Smart, We Choose Ganjar' When Jokowi Visits

Presidential Special Staff Coordinator Ari Dwipayana/ANTARA/Yashinta Difa

JAKARTA - Presidential Special Staff Coordinator Ari Dwipayana emphasized that the Palace has no policies to regulate activities and interactions between the community and President Joko Widodo.

Ari's statement was in response to allegations of intimidation or violence by the Presidential Security Forces (Paspampres) against civilians who unfurled banners when President Joko Widodo was about to approach the community in Wonosari, Gunungkidul Regency, Yogyakarta, Tuesday (30/1).

"If we meet with the community, we greet very closely, we even see that anything can happen in the interaction. Even the public can leave something to the President, it happens, giving a complaint to the President about the situation whether there is a problem in his area that is conveyed directly to the President. That's the situation of how the president responds to the public," Ari said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, January 31.

Meanwhile, President Jokowi visited Wonosari, Gunungkidul Regency, Yogyakarta, Tuesday (30/1), and the President's entourage passed in front of Argosari Market. The presidential accompaniment was recorded by residents and the video was shared on several social media.

In the video, it appears that the car Jokowi was traveling in stopped near a crowd of residents in front of Argosari Market.

Then, a resident approached the crowd that Jokowi allegedly approached. He unfurled a banner that read "Welcome Mr. Jokowi. We're Smart, We Choose Ganjar!".

Not long after, two people believed by the authorities approached the male resident who unfurled the banner and took him away from the crowd.

Responding to this, Ari explained that securing the President is something that often occurs during work visits.

Security against the President is carried out as a preventive measure carried out by territorial structure parties, namely from the Kodim and Korem.

On the other hand, the President also did not feel disturbed when greeting the public there were shouts that supported one of the pairs of vice presidential candidates.

According to Ari, the President is very open to interacting and greeting the public.

"This is part of the way the President interacts with the public openly. Even though there are shouts of candidate pairs or attempts to mobilize on the side of the road shouting candidate pairs with certain'settings', I don't think the President is at all disturbed," said Ari.